Saving old software from extinction in the age of cloud computing
June 18, 2014
Grazed from ArsTechnica. Author: Ron Amadeo.
We live in the golden age of cloud computing. Storing user data and preferences on the Internet makes our multi-device lives easier than ever before. Data input on one device is often seamlessly available on every other device, making it a snap to jump from desktop to laptop to smartphone. Some software has come to depend so completely on these cloud servers, though, that we are starting to create a software ecosystem that will be historically untraceable.
That’s an issue, because software we use today will eventually be an important part of history. Computers are one of mankind’s most significant achievements, and the devices have enabled an era of change that is more rapid than any other time in history. Historical record is a vital, precious thing. We’ve kept records of just about everything since before written language…
Cloud computing has no time for the past, though. Many apps depend on server support to function, but that support is based on usage numbers and profitability, not on nostalgia or trying to maintain a record. Software that doesn’t get used has support cut off, and—if there is even a local client left behind at all—it becomes a broken, empty husk. It’s about time we started asking ourselves: what are we leaving behind for future generations? When our descendants look back on the computer revolution, what will they still have access to?…
Read more from the source @ http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/06/saving-old-software-from-extinction-in-the-age-of-cloud-computing/